Commentary: Fair and effective justice reforms possible this session
Marc Levin, For the Express-News
Jan. 30, 2021
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Bail reform is perhaps the most complicated criminal justice reform under consideration at the Texas Legislature this session. There is bipartisan interest in addressing many criminal justice disparities.Kathy Willens /Associated Press
This month, the city of Keller agreed to a $200,000 settlement with Marco Puente in a suit alleging excessive use of force that was caught on camera. Puente was arrested after filming police interacting with his son, Dillon, who was pulled over for making a wide turn. Dillon became one of 64,100 Texans arrested in 2019 for a Class C misdemeanor.
Editorial: The eviction crisis is serious State, local officials must do more to help houstonchronicle.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from houstonchronicle.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Protesters march Aug. 21 outside a courthouse in Houston, where evictions are continuing despite a moratorium ordered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Like many Houstonians still experiencing unemployment related to the pandemic, Ben Abell is having a difficult year.
First, he lost his job in oil and gas. Then he and his partner split up, and he had to move out. He s optimistic about finding a new job. And for now, he s couch surfing. I got demoted from full-time to part-time, which they explicitly told me was not performance-related, and I understood. It was what it was. The work slowed down,” Abell said. “And then from there, it just dried up.”
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Like many Houstonians still experiencing unemployment related to the pandemic, Ben Abell is having a difficult year.
First, he lost his job in oil and gas. Then he and his partner split up, and he had to move out. He s optimistic about finding a new job. And for now, he s couch surfing. I got demoted from full-time to part-time, which they explicitly told me was not performance-related, and I understood. It was what it was. The work slowed down,” Abell said. “And then from there, it just dried up.”
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On Friday’s Houston Matters: Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht talks with News 88.7 s Jen Rice about the status of a state moratorium on evictions.
Also this hour: What the Biden administration could mean for education in Houston and across the nation. It s the fifth installment in a week of conversations about what the new administration might mean for Greater Houston.
And listeners share their favorite holiday music in the latest installment of the Houston Matters MixTape.
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